I wish to discuss one of many extra memorable upfront moments. After strolling the viewers by way of some new details about CNN, CEO Mark Thompson got here again on stage with a sequence of notecards. He then shared that President Biden and former President Trump had simply agreed to their first televised debate, which might be hosted on CNN. Are you able to shed any behind-the-scenes perception on how that happened?
I used to be backstage and making an attempt to observe together with the entire thing, however my understanding is that it had simply gotten accepted by each campaigns whereas we had been dwell. I’ll say that Mark had a line when he broke the information that I feel he had made up on the spot, however it was an ideal gross sales pitch. He mentioned, “When folks have one thing essential to say, they are saying it on CNN.” After which he appeared on the crowd of advertisers and mentioned, “And I feel it’s best to, too.” Speak about an incredible line.
Will WBD be again on the upfronts subsequent yr?
The previous few years have every had their very own distinctive wrinkle, so that is the primary yr that I feel the CFOs can credibly hope to crunch the ROI on these occasions. I feel shopper attendance was nice—we tracked round 3,000 attendees, with numerous out-of-towners. I feel folks are available for upfronts, they usually attend a number of shows, schedule some key conferences and get to attend some good after-parties. I feel the consumers get loads of bang for his or her buck, and we get to construct up momentum that finally ends up being useful in getting offers closed.
This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.
